Victoire is for Victory
by Lunaandnargles
Summary: Teddy has finally got together with the girl of his dreams. And that is great, right?     Well, no, it isn't at least for Victoire Weasley, who would prefer his girlfriend to be someone else.    Namely, herself.  So things aren't that great at all.


**Victoire is for Victory**

Here he is; Sitting next to me on a common room couch, gesticulating while describing all those perfect traits of Lilian Meadowes. I can't show my irritation though - the huge grin that brights up Teddy's whole face is too beautiful to be crushed by a jealous-ridden fifteen-year-old girl. I decide that it's probably the best, if I keep my eyes on the checkerboard. To a very unobservant watchdog, it might seem like I'm concentrating on a little friendly match of chess between Blythe Lenox and Robert Middleton, though I believe everyone in Hogwarts knows that there isn't much to concentrate on, according to the fact that in the end Robert always ends up winning anyway.

Boy, I really don't want to hear this. _Lilian is so friendly, Lilian is so smart, Lilian is so pretty, Lilian loves Caerphilly Catapults, Lilian got an Outstanding in Arithmancy, Lilian this, Lilian that_. I can't blame Teddy though - she really is one of the nicest people I've ever met. Perfect... _just perfect_, I can't even be furious with the girl as Lilian clearly hasn't got a single bloody flaw, so it would just be plain rude to mention something. Oh, fuck it! Winning the award for 'Hogwarts' Most Thoughtful Student' has never been on my list of goals. The only thing that matters at the moment is simply getting Lilian out of Ted's head.

"I heard she got a Troll for her Potions essay once." I suppose it can't hurt to throw in a small white lie and well, even though as far as I know Lilian Meadowes has never earned a T in her life, she isn't exactly among the cleverest in Potions.

"Considering I'm not the potion-master material myself, we make a lovely couple, don't you think?" Boy's laugh sounds so light and pleasant, I can't help, but smile as I tear my gaze away from Blythe's and Robert's _tremendously thrilling_ match. I don't want to break that laughter, I honestly don't, but I would prefer if it was something else that made him so joyous.

"So, you really like your girlfriend then." This observation was mainly muttered to myself, however, I earn a quizzical look from young Lupin. It's only fair though, because Teddy has been after Lilian since his third year and now, in their seventh year, they agreed to go to Hogsmead together, which in Hogwarts terms means that you're almost engaged, so it's quite barmy to wonder whether he fancys the girl or not.

"Tell me, do you love her?" Shit, that came out a bit too sharp. Teddy's grin disappears for a second, but soon a slightly malicious smirk takes its place

"Woah, Victoire, are you sure you're feeling okay today? I am quite confident that this is the first time today you snap at me, so I just have to wonder if everything is alright, since usually it would be about 34 by this time of the day. Oh, wait... " Ted takes a small look at his watch "It's already half past three. Pardon me - I meant 42."

Only way I find appropriate to respond to his casual pissing around is sticking out my tongue and calling him a 'bloody little git'. I guess this really says something about my overall intelligence. _Oh, well!_

I remind him my question. However it seems like the time for our conversation is finally over as Robert has finally defeated Blythe. I wonder what took him so long in the first place. Has that smug eavesdropper been listening to our conversation the whole time? Great, soon enough he will interrupt our conversation with something divvy and shallow about some fit girl or some new broom or... well... anything and I will have to wait until I can talk to Teddy again. That is really... really not cool.

"Well, yes, you know I like her a lot!" Ted looks at me like I have an extra head or something, when I know for fact that I most certainly don't have two heads. He must think that I'm a total numpty for asking something like that, but I really can't be arsed.

"Yes, I know that, but do you love her?"

"I just answered you!" Ted seems slightly irritated and very googled. However, both Blythe and Robert, who are now openly staring at us, look just as confused as him. Suddenly comprehension draws on Blythe's face.

"No, you didn't. You simply said you liked her."

"For Merlin's sake! Haven't you got a match of chess to lose?" Ted makes it quite clear that he doesn't like the direction this is heading. "For your information: It's not like those two things are that different. I like her. A lot." Whoops, seems like all the questioning has turned our usually very easy-going and friendly Teddy into a rather furious Teddy. Oh, I remember the time, when the colour of his hair used to change along with his every mood change, but it seems that he has learned to control it. Aunt Ginny has always said that Ted's mother was very good at controlling her metamorphmagus side and even always agreed to entertain people by changing her appearance, so I guess it makes sense, that as he becomes older, Ted will learn to control it and take more and more after his mother.

"Calm down, Teddy-boy, no need to throw a mardy!" Robert pats him on the shoulder, sending a furious look at Blythe and me. However, I'm quite pleased with the answer I received from Ted. If he isn't able to say he loves her, it doesn't feel that wrong. The fact that I don't want them to be together doesn't feel so wrong. I know it's selfish of me, but there isn't much I can do about it. Well, I mean, I probably could if I even bothered to try, but I don't want to. I am the one who has known him literally all my life and I am the one who is one of his best friends. I can be quite yellow, when it comes to Teddy. It's not like any of this matters anyway since, in the end, Ted will still marry that little Arithmancy-goddess, because - like I said - going to Hogsmead with someone basically means that everyone can start planning the engagement party. What matters is that the rest of the afternoon is spent peacefully as no one raises the topic of a certain Ravenclaw named Lilian again.

xxx

"C'mon, Blythe, get down here!" It's already past midnight and all the students should be fast asleep by now, yet I hear Teddy's hoarse whispers as I sit in the stranded dark common room, still working on my Herbology essay. It hurts a little that my supposedly _best_ friend doesn't find me worthy enough to chech if I am awake in my sixth-year girl's dormitory - it's not like it's _impossible_, after all, he has done it before - but I'm not going to jump out, run to Ted and yell in all my might _'Hey, mate, look here! I'm all awake and available! Choose me! Choose me!' _Victoire Weasley has never had to beg to get someone's attention and I'm not going to start now. However, that doesn't mean that I can't listen a little since the armchair I'm sitting in, hides me perfectly from their view.

"Could you please remind me, why did we have to come down here?" I can almost hear Blythe rolling his eyes as it is one of the gestures that is very typical of him. He sounds tired and irritated - he's a heavy sleeper and becomes very grumpy when awoken, especially in the middle of the night, which, I believe, is exactly what Teddy did.

"Well... err... love. I mean like.. you...you and Sophia Wright. How do you know you love her? What I mean is: how do you understand if you're in love with somebody? What does it feel like?" Ted seems to hesitate, but I suppose it has to be rather awkward for two blokes to discuss the meaning of love.

"I guess... well... you just know. I believe it's when you don't have to ask yourself anymore if you love someone, but you're already sure of it."

"But how can I be sure? I mean..." Ted makes another hesitating pause "I mean, can't I just fool myself into thinking that I love someone, when I really don't that way?"

"Stop worrying about Lilian. Just wait until the Hogsmead weekend and you will figure it out. I mean, you guys have never even spent much time alone, so you probably wouldn't know that even if you were in love with her. There's no need to overthink it now - it's not like you definitely have to make her your wife or something," I can't help but smile a little, since Blythe clearly isn't aware of the Hogsmead-equals-engagement rule of Hogwarts "Just forget about it, okay, mate?"

I can tell that the Lenox-boy is more eager to end the conversation and get back to his warm bed, than to help Teddy at the moment. I would continue the conversation with my favourite metamorphmagus myself, if I weren't afraid that Ted would probably find very very creepy if I suddenly appeared from the dark corner of the Gryffindor common room and said something along the lines of "_Hi, guys, I was just sitting here, secretly listening to a couple of seventh-year boys dicussing love. May I join in, because it's not like I'm a stalker or anything? Right, guys?"_

"I guess you're right," Teddy sighs heavily. I hear both of them rise from the couch and walk back to the boys' dorm room. I want to help Teddy, find out what is really bothering him, but I suppose he doesn't want to talk about it. At least, he doesn't want to talk about it to me and he's probably quite sure that I'm already fast asleep in my dormitory with other sixth-year girls, since he didn't even bother to check if I'm awake. Soon enough I'm done with my essay and head for my dorm to get some sleep before the sun rises.

xxx

I'm coming from the Great Hall after a late dinner, when I spot Lilian Meadowes pacing back and forth in front of the Gryffindor portrait hole.

"Yes! Vicky, I'm so glad you're here! Could you please tell Ted Lupin that I'm here waiting for him, because a certain someone..." she shoots an unflattering look towards the Fat Lady "doesn't agree to let me in nor call him herself." This is one of those moments, when I feel slightly thankful to Fat Lady, since I honestly, truly hate it, when someone calls me Vicky. Well, maybe with the exception of Teddy, but that's only because he's so wonderful and can make everything seem tolerable, not because I, in any way, actually like that byname. My proper name is Victoire and I don't like it when people forget that.

"Sure, I'll get him for you!" I turn to the portrait hole and mutter _'Devil's Snare'_quietly enough to make sure that the Ravenclaw doesn't catch the password. I'm simply trying to protect my fellow-gryffindors. And maybe just a tiny bit protecting myself from seeing perfect little Lilian snogging Ted whenever they both happen to have a free lesson. Ugh, now I can't get the annoying picture of those two out of my head.

There are many gryffindors in the common room, but finding the boy I'm looking for isn't very hard since one tends to be rather outstanding when one's hair happens to be bright green. It seems like the seventh-year boys are playing exploding snap and Teddy is earning the laughs by turning his hair another bright colour after every little explosion.

"Hey, Victoire! You want to join us in a little friendly game of exploding snap completed with a bit of metamorphmagi-magic?" the green-haired boy greets me with a smug grin.

"Of course! Who deals the cards?" Lilian can wait there as long as she likes, I'm not going to tell Ted that she's waiting for him, if I have a chance to hang out with him and his seventh-year mates. Honestly, sometimes I wonder how can I not be in Slytherin. I guess it was the Weasley half of me that mattered, when I got sorted into Gryffindor. Not that I'm complaining though, because being in the house of the braves also means getting to be close to Teddy and all my other friends. I should really be nicer to my dad, though I'm not exactly acting out too, so I guess I can just keep thanking him for passing on his great Gryffindor-ish genes to me, in the back of my mind.

xxx

In a few hours it comes to my mind that Lilian is probably still outside waiting for Ted. Damn, I completely forgot about her and I feel slightly guilty. I can only hope she put her Ravenclaw-worthy brain to a good use and realized to leave before her long legs got sore and her bones broke. I decide to go look for her, just in case she actually has stayed there for... err... 2 hours and 27 minutes. I can only take one step out of the Gryffindor common room, when I see her relying against the stone wall. She sure isn't looking happy, not even slightly.

"Finally! I have been waiting here for hours! Where is Ted? Did you give him my message?" Her choice of words is polite, but her furious tone makes clear how irritated she actually is.

"Uh, yeah, too bad. I kind of couldn't find him - I guess he's in his dormitory, but you know, I can't just walk in there with me being a girl and all, so I couldn't give him your message. I waited for him in the common room all this time, but he didn't leave his dorm so I didn't have a chance to talk to him. My sincere apologies for that." I blush as I mumble out those words of falsity. Sincere apologies? Not even close. I hope she won't meet Teddy any time soon, since if the topic of tonight comes up and Ted finds out about my 'porkies', I will most probably have a quarrel with both of them.

"Merlin, Vicky, I'm sorry for putting you through that much. You could have just come and tell me that he was in the boy's dormitory so you weren't able to fetch him. You didn't have to wait for him all that time!" Fortunately she has no idea about how easily I usually barge into their room, but I will not be the one to correct her. Again, I feel like a total plonker for lying, but the use of my hated by-name makes it disappear.

"Oh, it's okay. I really am sorry that I couldn't help you, but please, do me a favor and let's never mention it again - especially to Teddy. I feel so stupid for staying there for that long." I give her my best warm - and also a very fake - smile and it seems like she buys it, though she still looks quite upset.

"Absolutely, as you wish! Anyhow, if you happen to seek Ted, then please inform him that I'm in the library." I nod in agreement and after we have both said our farewells, I re-enter the common room. Heh, what do you know? There's still time for another game of exploding snap.

xxx

So here I am. Hiding in the seventh floor passageway, behind the enormous sculpture of Hogwarts' former headmaster Dexter Fortescue. In the name of Merlin, if my mom would see me right now, she would be very shocked to say the least, since I'm quite confident that she wouldn't find kneeling on the dusty floor in rumpled robes a very ladylike behavior. Well it's not like I can leave either. Rosemary Turpin warned me that she had heard Lilian Meadowes telling Ted Lupin something about me, trying to find him, and Ted had seemed quite upset and had told her something about exploding snap and then stormed off to find me. Rosemary didn't have the slightest clue about what the issue exactly was, but she seemed to think it was serious enough to inform me. However I know exactly what everything is about and therefore I have to hide. The fury of Lupin is something I certainly don't want to get in the way of.

I have been here since dinner and now there is only about an hour left to the bed-time of the students. I'm playing different scenarios in my head. In some of those everything is great and Teddy finds that it was all a great joke and we will be best friends forever, in others of those scenarios, Ted is absolutely livid and things get slightly violent and _bloody_. Due to Rosemary's statement that Ted Remus Lupin had seemed furious, I can probably cross down the happy scenarios. Oh, boy. I should probably just get back to the Gryffindor Tower and prepare for the massacre.

I get up and brush the dust of my black robes. I can see two dark figures approaching from the other end of the hallway.

"Hey, Weasley, that Lupin-boy is looking for you!" the dark-haired one of the two seventh-year Huffelpuffs informs me.

"What did you do to him? He seemed quite furious the last time I saw him," the blond one continues "Good luck making it out alive!"

I murmur a quiet 'thanks' to them both and continue my path. So, he is spitting mad. That's very, _very_ bad. By the time I reach the portrait hole, I have decided that I should probably just try to sneak into my dormitory silently, since I'm not exactly in the mood of getting killed by a metamorphmagus with werewolf origins. Maybe, if I just avoid the problem, it will go away. I murmur the password and continue walking on my tiptoes, trying to blend in with the wall as much as possible in order to reach my room unnoticed. Unfortunately as I walk up the stairs to the girls' dorm, a familiar head, now with bright red hair, snaps up. The voice in my head tells me to run to the dormitory as Teddy can't get in there, since he happens to be male. I close the door behind me and just stand there motionlessly for some time. I'm furious with Meadowes for not being able to keep her mouth shut, I'm furious with Ted for dating someone like her, I'm furious with those two huffelpuffs just because they dared to talk to me and I'm furious with Rosemary, since I blame her for the fact that I sat in dust for hours, instead of running right to my dorm, where Teddy is perfectly avoidable. In the back of my mind, I understand how ironic all that fury in me is, as I was the one who messed up and not any of those people that I blame, but it's easy to ignore that thought.

Well, I guess I'm not really mad at those huffelpuffs and I'm actually even thankful to Rosemary Turpin, as I can't really say like she was the one, who told me that it would be an extremely good idea to kneel in the dustiest hallway of Hogwarts. However I'm not very keen on Lilian and I am mad at both her and Teddy. Teddy. It's his fault. He can't just start dating someone and expect me to be all happy and joyous about it. Can't he see how much I like him? It's not fair to act all friendly and nice around me, just to break my heart and ask out some bird. It's not fair, so he can't put the blame on me for what I did. Suddenly, my thoughts are interrupted by a sharp knock on the door and Abigail Stuart enters the room.

"What do you want, Abbie?" I don't bother to make a friendly gesture - I am still in a black mood.

"Sorry to disturb you, but Ted asked me to tell you to come to the common room. Right now." I can do that. It's his fault and if he even tries to blame me, I can easily just duel him. I'm not exactly the most logical person, when I happen to be roaming mad.

xxx

"So you are finally here. Let's talk upstairs, in my dorm." I can't read out a single emotion from his blank face. He grabs my arm and starts pulling me towards his dormitory. With a sharp movement, I yank my hand free and walk into the dorm room of the seventh-year boys. He follows me and closes the door behind him.

"Lilian told me what you did and I know that it's all fun and games for you, but in my opinion that was just plain malicious. You know how new and awkward our relationship still is, yet you don't even mind to tell me when my girlfriend wants to see me and I'm not even mentioning how you let the poor girl wait out there for hours. _Hours!_ What is more - you avoid me like I'm a bloody villain. What's wrong with you?" If the whole situation hadn't been so intense, I would have found it amusing how his voice had changed from the calm and serious tone he had started with, to the loud and angry tone he used to yell the last couple of sentences.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you is the right question here! It was not a big deal, you berk! I'm sure you and your perfect little girlfriend can get over that."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm probably the one who's wrong to think that people should be able to get messages from the people they are in love with!"

"Sod off! You don't even love her, so you probably shouldn't use that excuse, don't you think?" I try my best to make it sound as sarcastic as possible "I heard you and Blythe talk about it one night in the common room, so I guess that one is out of the list! You're just trying to find reasons to be mad at me!" My outburst confession makes Ted flush and his hair that has been changing colours through our whole quarrel, finally settles on icy blue.

"You did what? Tell me, what _is _wrong with you? Why would you do something like that? And about 'me trying to find reasons to be mad at you' - well, I guess I don't need to try anymore or what, since you have apparently sabotaged my whole life!"

"_Sabotaged your whole life_? Maybe you shouldn't be talking about your personal matters in public rooms then, because maybe, _just maybe_, someone unfortunately happens to be doing her homework there! You stupid twat! I'm the one who _has been there for you _for your whole life and yet you still decide to date some random Ravenclaw and don't even bother to wake me up for a midnight chat, choosing Blythe over me! Blythe! He would have told you anything to get back to his bed - I would have at least advised you properly and actually been worried about your concerns. Why do you like Lilian? You don't even know her, but you know everything about me. We are great friends, we have known each other for like forever and we would have been perfect together!" If my emotions are raging, I just can't keep myself for screaming out what ever happens to come to my mind.

Ted looks dumbfounded and silently drops down onto his bed. He sits there, staring at me, standing in the middle of the room with my hands thrown up in the air.

"So you blame me for not asking you out, is that it? Is that also why you didn't give me Lilian's message?" His voice is quiet and his hair has turned pale white. I'm not exactly pleased with that - his quietness keeps me from yelling too, but I want to yell. I want to scream and fight and just let all my frustration out. But I can't. Not with him being suddenly all silent and stable. He continues to talk. "I never knew, you liked me like that. I always considered us as just mates."

"Well, I do like you. Fuck it, I love you." So it is out. No way to take it back. It's all up to him now. I threw him the quaffle; He can do whatever he wants with it.

"I'm sorry, Victoire. I really am." Teddy slowly gets up from his bed and walks to the door as I just stand there keeping my eyes on my chipped nail polish while nervously running my fingers through my long blonde curls. Merlin's beard, I wish there would be some kind of device to turn back time - it would be quite useful at the moment. I should send an owl to the ministry, so maybe they could invent something like that for a sixteen-year-old and I could undo everything I've done in the few past days. I'm not sure, but I'm quite positive, that uncle Harry mentioned something like that, when we happened to talk about his godfather once, when he was babysitting me many years ago, though I was only 8 at the time and I probably remember wrong anyway. _Oh, stop thinking,_ Victoire! Teddy is walking out of the room, after you have told him that you're in love with him and you can't even focus on the situation in your thoughts. I guess there won't much left of the friendship of me and Teddy either.

"No!" Before I can even catch what is happening after he murmurs that one word, the boy has already turned around and walked back to me. He cups my face with his hands and brushes away those few strands of hair, that have fallen out of their rightful place, onto my hot cheeks. His eyes - now dark green - are looking straight into mine, though _my _sight is fluttering between his big eyes and dry thin lips, most probably exposing my thoughts and wishes to him.

"Are you going to kiss me?" I try to sound as confident and even a tiny bit superior as always, but I'm quite sure that my shaky voice and flushing face ruins the effect. However, it makes Teddy smirk in a nice friendly way and I'm as sure as one can be, that he is the only person who is able to do that. By _that_, I of course mean smirking without seeming cruel.

"I believe I am." With those simple four words he gives me a gentle kiss on my lips, though I long for more.

"Now, Victoire, promise me that you won't get mad after I tell you something." His smile is still there and the friendly dimples on his cheeks are visible.

"I promise." Even though a clever smile appears on my lips, I am probably still quite drugged by his sudden glimpse of affection, since usually I would have said something along the lines 'I won't sell my soul to the devil' or 'name it and I'll answer you after that'. Well, in general, anything that would have sounded witty enough to make my point clear.

"There's something I should have told you, but I kind of didn't have a chance to say that and after I heard today what you did to Lilian - even though I actually found it a little amusing - I was still mad at you, so I kind of lied to you and neither did I feel like correcting you, when you kept calling her my girlfriend." I can see, where he is steering this conversation. "You told me how you heard a rather personal conversation of mine one night. Well, I kind of broke up with Lilian after that night. Or actually, I didn't, we weren't exactly dating anyway so it's probably more like we just agreed to stay friends."

I guess he expected me to be more shocked.

"Tell me, did the Sorting Hat ever think about making you a Slytherin?" He starts to answer as I try to romantically cut him off with a kiss. Too bad, that I only end up kissing his jaw line - _damn those long legs of his! _However, my clumsiness seems to amuse him and he lets out a little chuckle.

"So it seems to me that we might be kind of an item now, right? Does this also mean that we will order for each-other at Honeyduke's?"

"Of course it does!" Mental image of Teddy trying to get the Fizzing Whizbees from the lowest shelf puts a smile on my face. World of low shelves just isn't made for tall guys like him.

"Okay, so, let me check: your favourites are whizbees, peppermint toads and licorice wands?"

"Yes, except for the wands - those are your favourites." I pull out one of the exact kind of licorice wands from a brown paper bag on his nightstand, wiggling it in front of his face.

"Well, darling," He grabs the sweet from my hand "I guess, we just have to work on making those your favourite too. After all, I would be quite a lousy boyfriend if I didn't knew your favourite sweets."

With those words he eats a bite of the wand and offers a bite to me as well, even though I kindly refuse. And on that moment everything was just wonderful. And it will _always_be wonderful, because life can be nothing but wonderful when Teddy and I are together.

THE END

xxx

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this story and it would be very-very nice if you wrote a review as well :)**

**If you liked the story, please tell me so. You may also suggest ideas or well, pretty much write what ever you want to.  
>If you didn't like it, it's even more important that you review, so please tell me and it would also be very nice if you pointed out my flaws. That way I would be able to improve myself, otherwise I'll just keep posting bad fiction and that won't make anyone happy.<strong>

**THANK YOU VERY MUCH!**


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